RICHMOND, Va. — The Redskins wrapped up their final full practice before Thursday’s preseason opener, and it wasn’t the toughest of practices. Robert Griffin III will start at Cleveland on Thursday and it’s expected that he will play about a quarter along with the starters. Jay Gruden confirmed that, but left himself the option to adjust if needed.
“We’ll see how it goes right now,” he said. “When I say a quarter, it depends a lot on the situation of the game. If we have a nice 12-or-14-play drive, that could change everything. We will be on a play count for our ones on offense. I want them to anticipate playing at least a quarter so they get in their frame that they might have to go back out for a second or third series. You tell them one series and it’s three and out, that’s not enough for us.”
All eyes will once again be on Griffin, who by his own account had his best day of practice on Tuesday.
“I felt good,” Griffin said. “From a mental and fundamental standpoint, today was my best practice of the camp and that’s what you want. But it helps when guys are in the right spot where they’re supposed to be. I thought today was great.”
Griffin spoke in generalities when he talked about what he hoped to get out of his time on the field Thursday.
“Preparing for four quarters,” he said. “We want to go out, get some points, get some good drives together and start getting into a rhythm. That’s all that matters.”
You can’t duplicate game speed in practice, as Griffin notes.
“It’s different, but you put more emphasis on the little things,” he said. “Your talent, your speed, that extra bounce in your step will kick in. You just have to trust what you see and play with confidence.”
Expect Griffin to play more this preseason than he did a year ago, where he only attempted 20 passes completing 13 of them for 141 yards with no touchdowns and also threw two interceptions. Playing possibly a quarter on Thursday would be a good start in that direction. Let’s be honest — he needs to play football and continue to get better. He needs the reps.
Kirk Cousins said after practice that he expects to relieve Griffin and play probably two quarters, followed by Colt McCoy, who will most likely play the fourth quarter this week. Cousins said that the rotation between he and Colt will most likely switch next week.
Injuries
- Tight end Niles Paul returned to practice after receiving treatment last night on his shoulder. He also had an MRI and got a good report
- Tight end Jordan Reed practiced but is dealing with a little hamstring soreness
- Jay Gruden said the following players will not play on Thursday: linebacker Ryan Kerrigan (precaution), wide receiver DeSean Jackson (Shoulder), wide receiver Jamison Crowder (hamstring), cornerback David Amerson (shoulder) and cornerback Bashaud Breeland (knee)
Attendance
The Redskins announced 4,350 people in attendance Tuesday. It definitely looked a lot lighter than that.
